The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Farmers often must make planting decisions regarding one or more fields based on incomplete information. Specifically, before planting a crop, a farmer must determine when to plant the crop to achieve maximum crop yield. While the general planting season for a particular type of crop may be generally known, due to various temperature and weather related factors, the actual yield of a crop may vary based on the day within the planting season when the crop is planted.
An additional decision a farmer must make involves the type of seed hybrid planted. Crops, such as corn, generally have multiple types of hybrid, each of which may produce a different yield of corn. While the type of hybrid effects the total yield of the crop, the effect of selecting one seed over another changes with respect to planting date and location. For example, for a particular planting day in a first location, a first seed type may produce a higher yield than a second seed type, while for the same planting day in a second location, the second seed type may produce a higher yield than the first seed type.
Given the dependence of total crop yield the type of seed planted, the date the seed is planted, and the location of the field, objective data identifying the best planting date and seed type is generally unavailable. As the type of seed planted and the date of planting may have a strong impact on the total yield of the farm, and thus on the total profits of the farmer, it would be beneficial to provide a farmer with data indicating the best planting dates and seed selections for the farmer's particular field.